UK employers look to expand tech teams before year-end

Nearly half of UK employers are planning to boost their technology teams by the end of this year, looking mostly for security, AI, and cloud skills.

According to new research from Robert Half, 47% of UK employers hope to boost their tech workforce, with 54% looking for cyber security skills, 50% agentic AI skills, 48% generative AI skills, and 44% cloud skills.

Meanwhile, another 25% are expanding contract and project-based hiring.

"Technology remains one of the most active areas of hiring in the UK labor market, with nearly half of employers planning to grow their permanent technology teams before the end of the year," said Matt Weston, senior managing director, UK & Ireland at Robert Half.

"Businesses continue to invest heavily in cyber security, cloud infrastructure, and artificial intelligence, but they're not simply looking for more people. They're looking for professionals with the right blend of technical expertise, commercial understanding and the ability to work effectively alongside AI."

According to the researchers, 45% of UK technology professionals say they're now expected to develop new AI-related skills, while 38% spend more time overseeing and validating AI-generated outputs. At the same time, 53% say AI has cut the time they're spending on routine tasks, and 37% that their roles have become more strategic.

The findings, said the team, point to a growing demand for professionals who can work effectively alongside AI systems, applying human judgment to ensure accuracy, quality, security, and compliance.

"As organizations increase investment in AI, cloud infrastructure and cyber security, we're seeing strong demand for professionals who combine technical expertise with strategic decision-making," said Weston.

"AI is automating some tasks, but it isn't replacing the need for skilled technology talent. In many cases, it's making those skills even more valuable."

With cyber threats continuing to evolve and businesses increasing investment in AI-powered technologies, the firm said it expects competition for specialist talent to remain strong, especially for those with expertise in cyber security, AI, and cloud environments.

The report coincides with the UK government's latest figures on the cyber security workforce, showing that it's expanded by only 2% over the last year – although it, too, finds that most companies are looking to hire this year.

There was a 7% increase in core cyber security job postings – roles where some aspect of cyber security is the main job function – and a rise of 10% for roles that might not be formally labeled as cyber security jobs but that still require cyber security skills.

However, 57% of businesses said they had a basic technical skills gap, up from last year's 49%.

Back in January, the government announced plans to provide 10 million workers with key AI skills by 2030 through free courses available to all, opening a skills hub that's already seen the delivery of more than a million courses. Meanwhile, the NCSC offers training courses for both novices and experienced security professionals, with courses targeted at sectors from board members to schools.